Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has stated that if he had been in the nation, he would have participated in the demonstration against the National Assembly spearheaded by Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
In an interview with Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai criticized the Senate for changing the proposed Electoral Act revisions’ provisions on the electronic transmission of election results, arguing that real-time transmission is crucial to avoiding manipulation.
The political motivation behind the reform’s postponement and opposition, he claims, is to maintain electoral advantages.
“I regret that I was unable to travel back to Nigeria; I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in demonstrating before the National Assembly to reinstate the obligation to transmit results from the polling station in real-time,” El-Rufai stated.
He claimed that the ruling party was against the proposal for survival reasons and that implementing real-time electronic transmission would greatly reduce election tampering and increase election credibility.
The former governor added that although the change had received support from the House of Representatives, the Senate had not yet fully embraced it.
Obi led hundreds of demonstrators to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Monday to voice their opposition to the Senate’s decision to strike the word “real-time” from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill’s provisions on electronic results transmission.
Members of the Obedient Movement and pro-democracy organizations organized the demonstration, which was dubbed “Occupy the National Assembly.” They claimed that the MPs’ action was a planned attempt to undermine electoral transparency in advance of the general elections in 2027.
The Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026 completed its third reading in the Senate last week. The term “real-time” was removed from parts pertaining to electronic results transmission, which sparked controversy. Critics say this move creates the possibility of post-election manipulation.
Despite the Senate’s subsequent clarifications that it did not completely eliminate electronic communication, demonstrators maintain that doing away with “real-time electronic transmission” leaves vulnerabilities open to abuse.
Marching from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly, protesters held signs that said, “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now.” They also chanted solidarity songs.
The demonstrators were forced to hold their rally outside the main gate after security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps blocked access to the compound.
Obi highlighted that legitimate elections continue to be the cornerstone of national growth while warning that Nigeria’s democratic progress was in jeopardy while speaking to reporters at the location.
“We have to put an end to this criminality and demonstrate that we are now a country that shines in Africa,” he declared.
In addition, the former governor of Anambra urged lawmakers to legally ensure that results are transmitted electronically.
“The risk was evident. We have been exposed to the risk. We have already endured that. We do not want another glitch. This is all done. Normalcy is what we want to return to. No more hiccups,” he said.
